Suzannah's "Adventures in Dressmaking" Room

We just moved into our beautiful brand new townhouse in late August, and the whole place is a soothing super pale grey. I love it but I wanted something different in the guest room, something bold! I wanted the guest room to feel fresh and interesting and youthful (my college-aged art major brother-in-law is our most frequent guest) so we put some of the funkiest art in that room to keep with the bold wall and vintage turquoise ceramic lamp. The green and navy wool Pendleton blanket on the end of the bed was a lucky find at Goodwill ages ago, and I was just thinking how I didn't think I'd ever decorate with it again (it's been in the closet a while...) but then we did the navy in this room, and it's perfect!

Colors used in my room

Navy blue, turquoise, aqua, yellow, gold. I went back and forth but was always toying with the idea of navy blue... so, taking a deep breath at the paint mixing counter, we got a deep, bold navy blue paint on the accent wall, inspired by Sherwin Williams SW 7602 Indigo Batik. The room is small so the one wall was all it needed to totally transform it. The white bedding, white curtains, and other pale walls keep the room from feeling cave-like, and the gold frames and mirrors reflect and keep it bright.

Tips for using color successfully

Remember your neutrals (for us, pure white, not ivory, and the warm browns of the bed and painted Ikea Rast dresser, and the gold) and don't choose colors or other neutrals that conflict. I don't like to use a color only once, even an accent--the eye wants to follow along throughout the room seeing similar colors here and there or along the path, so the turquoise is repeated around the room and the navy is reflected in some of the mirrors and is on some of the books and art.

More posts in this series

Room for Color 2012

As Apartment Therapy's Managing Editor, Carrie covers design and modern homelife with children. A lapsed librarian, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids and is in contention to break the record for most hours spent at the playground.